In answering the question of whether documentary filmmaking can be considered a for-profit business documentary filmmakers have claimed victory against the IRS. The US tax court has ruled that Lee Storey can write off hundreds of thousands of dollars of business expenses from the production of Smile 'Til It Hurts: The Up with People Story. The IDA FIND NALIP WMM NAMAC and UFVA filed a friend of the court brief in the case.
Robert L. Johnson chairman of The RLJ Companies and founder of Black Entertainment Television has announced today that RLJ Acquisition has entered into agreements to acquire Image Entertainment and Acorn Media Group to create one of the largest independent distributors of digital and video content globally. The new combined company will be named RLJ Entertainment. Shares of the new company are expected to trade on the NASDAQ Stock Market.
Post-production and visual effects processing increasingly rely on 2K/4K film resolution high-definition CGI content and real-time digital end-to-end workflows. To address that challenge the post house Rushes (part of the Deluxe Entertainment Services Group) has deployed a Brocade BRCD -0.08% data center networking solution based on Ethernet fabric technology helping it meet growing demand and link seven data centers located across five buildings in the Soho area of London.
Sorenson Media has announced the immediate availability of Sorenson Squeeze 8 Pro which gives video professionals unprecedented workflow functionality and control using the company’s video encoding and transcoding application. For the first time video professionals can work seamlessly within and between leading professional formats and non-linear editing systems – including the capability to easily output video to mezzanine formats including Avid DNxHD on Windows and Apple OS X systems and Apple ProRes for OS X systems.
When cinematographer Dave Perkal signed on for the new season of the highly unusual series The Vampire Diaries he made sure his camera package included 2575 heads from OConnor. “I’ve used OConnor on every production I have been involved in from the time I was a loader assistant and operator. Now that I’m a DP they are on my camera order every time. Leaving OConnor off would be like forgetting to order tripods ” he says. “Our show is a bit different from your normal television episodic ” Perkal says. “We opt for the more cinematic approach in our visual dialectic.
Sonoblok has built an imm sound studio in Room 1 of the Sonoblok dubbing studios in Barcelona. Equipped with a 5.1 monitor system with JBL this room was easily adapted to imm’s monitor configuration of 23.1. It took just a few days to update the studio to the new system with minimal interruption to the professional activities of the studio At the heart of the imm sound system is the IAW (Immersive Audio Workstation) a piece of hardware that allows the engineer to create 3D panning and generate imm files as well as current standard versions within the market.
Modus FX completed 194 shots in a remarkable eight weeks for Mirror Mirror Tarsem Singh’s whimsical adaptation of the popular Snow White folk story. Modern-day behavior and speech are set in a rich fairytale world creating a light-hearted coming-of-age story for audiences of all ages. While larger-than-life characters such as the wicked queen played by Julia Roberts drive the narrative the sets and costumes are crucial for establishing the magic and the feel of the film.
Harman International India has successfully completed an audio system installation with Harman JBL Professional cinema loudspeakers at PVR Cinema in Juhu Mumbai. PVR Cinema is India’s leading and premium cinema exhibition chain. PVR Cinema in Juhu consists of five auditoriums which have varied seating capacity ranging from approximately 100 to 300 seats. Due to its prime location the Juhu property of PVR hosts previews and premieres of most of the major movie releases every week.
From Sling Blade and The Apostle through to challenging situations on Crazy Heart cinematographer Barry Markowitz ASC has always relied on OConnor for solid support. For Jayne Mansfield’s Car his newest collaboration with writer/director/actor Billy Bob Thornton he chose two OConnor 120EX fluid heads. Shot entirely on location in Georgia Jayne Mansfield’s Car is a culture-clash story set in 1969 Alabama and stars Thornton Robert Duvall Kevin Bacon Robert Patrick John Hurt and Dennis Quaid. “We chose to shoot on 35mm 2:40 3-perf with two Panavision cameras ” says Markowitz.
In co-operation with James Cameron’s Lightstorm Entertainment Christie supplied its Christie Duo dual-projector solution to bring the bright vivid scenes of Titanic in 3D to life at its world premiere at The Royal Albert Hall. “I’m pleased to have Christie continuing to accompany me on my journey of discovery which will see studios and theater owners providing stirring 3D and in due course high frame rate movies to fully immerse their audiences in experiences that best represent the creative excellence of today’s producers and directors ” says Cameron.
